NameCensus.

UK surname

Hearns

An occupational name for a person who guarded an enclosure or forest.

In the 1881 census there were 119 people recorded with the Hearns surname, ranking it #17,841 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 167, ranked #22,055, down from #17,841 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Epping, Letcomb Regis, Childrey and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Nitshill, Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber East and West Neilston and Uplawmoor.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hearns is 167 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.3%.

1881 census count

119

Ranked #17,841

Modern count

167

2016, ranked #22,055

Peak year

2016

167 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hearns had 119 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,841 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016, ranked #22,055.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 156 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Hearns surname distribution map

The map shows where the Hearns surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Hearns surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hearns over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 77 #19,998
1861 historical 156 #14,813
1881 historical 119 #17,841
1891 historical 114 #22,006
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1911 historical 79 #24,903
1997 modern 152 #20,948
1998 modern 156 #21,144
1999 modern 153 #21,551
2000 modern 147 #22,081
2001 modern 138 #22,647
2002 modern 146 #22,302
2003 modern 136 #23,045
2004 modern 141 #22,689
2005 modern 144 #22,367
2006 modern 142 #22,724
2007 modern 145 #22,693
2008 modern 144 #23,037
2009 modern 151 #22,816
2010 modern 151 #23,377
2011 modern 153 #22,996
2012 modern 149 #23,372
2013 modern 153 #23,314
2014 modern 165 #22,356
2015 modern 162 #22,509
2016 modern 167 #22,055

Geography

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Where Hearns' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Epping, Letcomb Regis, Childrey, Manchester, Portsmouth, Portsea and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Nitshill, Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber East, West Neilston and Uplawmoor, Fallin and Wealden. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Epping Essex
2 Letcomb Regis, Childrey Berkshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Nitshill Glasgow City
2 Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber East Aberdeen City
3 West Neilston and Uplawmoor East Renfrewshire
4 Fallin Stirling
5 Wealden 015 Wealden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hearns

These lists show first names that appear often with the Hearns surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hearns

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hearns, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Hearns surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Hearns household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Hearns is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hearns is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hearns falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hearns is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Hearns, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hearns

The surname Hearns is of English origin, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "heor" and "erņ," which together mean "a place frequented by hares." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a hare's den or a place where hares were abundant.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hearns can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hernes" and "Hernes." This suggests that the name was already in use before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Herne" and "Hern" in various county records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and the Feet of Fines for Essex. These early spellings reflect the evolution of the name over time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was William Herne, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1203. Another notable individual was John Herne, a prominent merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 14th century.

During the 16th century, the name was sometimes associated with the heron bird, and it was sometimes spelled as "Hearon" or "Heyron." This association with the heron may have been due to the similarity in pronunciation between "hare" and "heron."

In the 17th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including "Hearne," "Hearn," and "Hearns." One notable bearer of the name from this period was Thomas Hearne, an English antiquary and scholar who lived from 1678 to 1735.

Another significant figure with the surname Hearns was John Hearne, an English soldier and adventurer who fought in the English Civil War and later became a pirate in the Caribbean. He lived from around 1625 to 1660.

In the 18th century, the spelling "Hearns" became more prevalent, and the name was associated with several notable individuals, including William Hearns, a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War, and Richard Hearns, an English playwright and author who lived from 1720 to 1795.

As the centuries passed, the surname Hearns spread across various regions of England, with concentrations in counties such as Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Essex, where the name originated. The name also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to various parts of the world through the process of migration and colonization.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hearns families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hearns surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 18 Hearns' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.31x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 18 1.31x
Northumberland 18 10.42x
Berkshire 16 18.37x
Surrey 14 2.48x
Middlesex 13 1.12x
Durham 6 1.74x
Yorkshire 6 0.52x
Essex 5 2.18x
Somerset 5 2.68x
Oxfordshire 4 5.58x
Sussex 4 2.04x
Staffordshire 3 0.77x
Warwickshire 3 1.02x
Devon 2 0.83x
Gloucestershire 1 0.44x
Monmouthshire 1 1.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wallsend in Northumberland leads with 18 Hearns' recorded in 1881 and an index of 328.47x.

Place Total Index
Wallsend 18 328.47x
Childrey 7 3333.33x
Benfieldside 6 264.32x
Camberwell 6 8.09x
Kingston Lisle 6 4615.38x
Manchester 6 9.69x
Southwark St George Martyr 6 25.68x
Spotland 6 39.19x
Bathwick 5 241.55x
West Ham 5 9.89x
Hackney London 4 6.15x
Hastings St Leonards 4 138.89x
North Stoke 4 5714.29x
Stoke Newington London 4 44.25x
Bowling 3 26.34x
Cheetham 3 29.21x
Leeds 3 4.62x
Sparsholt 3 1764.71x
Stoke Upon Trent 3 7.22x
Coventry Holy Trinity 2 22.88x
Kensington London 2 3.10x
Silverton 2 400.00x
Blackburn 1 2.73x
Ealing 1 9.64x
East Broughton 1 256.41x
Lambeth 1 0.99x
Leckhampton 1 71.43x
Liverpool 1 1.20x
Llanvihangel Crucorney 1 555.56x
Newington 1 2.33x
Shrewley 1 666.67x
St Marylebone London 1 1.61x
Westminster St Margaret 1 17.86x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Hearns surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 17
Elizabeth 5
Alice 4
Agnes 3
Catherine 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Annie 2
Bridget 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Kate 2
Caroline 1
Edith 1
Eliza 1
Hannah 1
Honor 1
Joanna 1
Liza 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Margt. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Mercy 1
Patti 1
Sophia 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Hearns surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 10
John 9
Thomas 5
James 4
Charles 3
Daniel 2
Edward 2
Henry 2
Patrick 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Edmond 1
Ernest 1
Felix 1
Frank 1
George 1
Hugh 1
Israel 1
Jas. 1
Michael 1
Owen 1
Peter 1
Reley 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Hearns surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hearns surname in 1881?

In 1881, 119 people were recorded with the Hearns surname. That placed it at #17,841 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hearns surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 167 in 2016. That gives Hearns a modern rank of #22,055.

What does the Hearns surname mean?

An occupational name for a person who guarded an enclosure or forest.

What does the Hearns map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hearns bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.